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| The '''virgin cleansing myth''' (also referred to as the '''virgin cure myth''', '''virgin rape myth''', or simply '''virgin myth''') is the mistaken belief that having ] with a ] girl cures a man of ] or other ].<ref name="Groce & Trasi 2004">{{Cite journal | title = Rape of individuals with disability: AIDS and the folk belief of virgin cleansing | journal = The Lancet | volume = 363 | issue = 9422 | year = 2004 | pages = 1663–1664 | author = Groce, Nora E. | author2 = Trasi, Reshma | url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673604162880 | accessdate = 2011-12-29 | doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16288-0 | pmid=15158626 |
The '''virgin cleansing myth''' (also referred to as the '''virgin cure myth''', '''virgin rape myth''', or simply '''virgin myth''') is the mistaken belief that having ] with a ] girl cures a man of ] or other ].<ref name="Groce & Trasi 2004">{{Cite journal | title = Rape of individuals with disability: AIDS and the folk belief of virgin cleansing | journal = The Lancet | volume = 363 | issue = 9422 | year = 2004 | pages = 1663–1664 | author = Groce, Nora E. | author2 = Trasi, Reshma | url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673604162880 | accessdate = 2011-12-29 | doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16288-0 | pmid=15158626}}</ref> | ||
| <nowiki> </nowiki>Anthropologist Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala says the myth is a potential factor in ] by HIV-positive men in ].<ref name="Leclerc-Madlala 2002">{{Cite journal | title = On The Virgin Cleansing Myth: Gendered Bodies, AIDS and Ethnomedicine | journal = African Journal of AIDS Research | volume = 1 | issue = 2 | year = 2002 | pages = 87–95 | author = Leclerc-Madlala, Suzanne | url = http://scnc.ukzn.ac.za/doc/Health/Aids/LeclercMadlala-S_Virgin_cleansing_myth_HIV-AIDS_ethnomedicine.pdf | accessdate = 2011-12-29 | doi=10.2989/16085906.2002.9626548}}</ref> In addition to young girls, who are presumed to be virgins because of their age, people who are "blind, deaf, physically impaired, intellectually disabled, or who have mental-health disabilities" are sometimes raped under the erroneous presumption that individuals with disabilities are sexually inactive and therefore virgins.<ref name="Groce & Trasi 2004" /> | |||
| == |
==History== | ||
| The myth was first reported in 16th century ] and gained prominence in 19th century ] as a cure for syphilis and gonorrhea among other sexually transmitted diseases.<ref name="Earl-Taylor 2003">{{Cite journal | title = HIV/AIDS, the stats, the virgin cure and infant rape | journal = Science in Africa: Africa's First On-Line Science Magazine | year = 2002 | author = Earl-Taylor, Mike | url = http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/april/virgin.htm | accessdate = 2011-12-31}}</ref> The origin is unknown, but historian ] writes that the idea may have evolved from ] legends of ], whose purity served as a form of protection in battling demons.<ref name="Blank 2007">{{Cite book | title = Virgin: The Untouched History | author = Blank, Hanne | year = 2007 | publisher = Bloomsbury USA | location = New York, NY | isbn = 978-1-59691-010-2}}</ref> | |||
| == Prevalence == | |||
| Accounts of the belief are reported from ], ], Europe and the Americas.<ref name="Groce & Trasi 2004" /> Earl-Taylor suggested that the virgin cure myth may explain the staggering rise in child or infant rapes in ], which is facing an HIV/AIDS ].<ref name="Earl-Taylor 2003" /> Historian ] is of the opinion that the idea may have evolved from ] legends of virgin martyrs whose purity served as a form of protection in battling demons.<ref name="Blank 2007">{{Cite book | title = Virgin: The Untouched History | author = Blank, Hanne | year = 2007 | publisher = Bloomsbury USA | location = New York, NY | isbn = 978-1-59691-010-2}}</ref> | |||
| People all over the world have heard this myth, including in ], ], Europe and the Americas.<ref name="Groce & Trasi 2004" /> | |||
| A survey by the ] in South Africa found that 18 percent of laborers thought that having sex with a virgin cures HIV/AIDS. An earlier study in 1999 by sexual health educators in ] reported that 32 percent of the survey participants believed the myth.<ref name="IRIN 2002">{{Cite news | title = SOUTH AFRICA: Focus on the virgin myth and HIV/AIDS | author = IRIN | year = 2002 | publisher = IRIN | url = http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=39838 | accessdate = 2011-12-30}}</ref> | |||
| According to the controversial Betty Makoni of the Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.zimbabweonlinepress.com/index.php?news=155|title=GCN boss Betty Makoni embezzles donor funds|publisher=Zimbabwe Online Press|accessdate=21 September 2014|author=Kwayedza-Umthunya|date=08-05-2009}}</ref> the myth is perpetuated by traditional healers advising HIV-positive men to cure their disease by having sex with virgin girls.<ref name="Vickers 2006">{{Cite news | title = Staging sex myths to save Zimbabwe's girls | author = Vickers, Steve | publisher = BBC | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6076758.stm | accessdate = 2011-12-31 | date=2006-10-24}}</ref> In Zimbabwe, some people also believe that the blood produced by raping a virgin will cleanse the infected person's blood of the disease.<ref name="Vickers 2006" /> | |||
| ⚫ | However, it is unknown exactly how common the myth is and to what degree rapes happen because of the belief in it. The claim that the myth drives either HIV infection or ] in South Africa is disputed by researchers ] and Helen Epstein.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)61858-4/fulltext |title=The myth of the virgin rape myth |publisher=The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9699, Page 1419 |date=2009-10-24 |accessdate=2013-09-21}} "In the current South African case, this claim is predicated on racist assumptions about the amorality of African men..."</ref> | ||
| ==Impact== | ==Impact== | ||
| ⚫ | Psychologist Mike Earl-Taylor suggested that the virgin cure myth may explain the staggering rise in child or infant rapes in ], which is facing an HIV/AIDS ].<ref name="Earl-Taylor 2003" /> However, it is unknown exactly how common the myth is and to what degree rapes happen because of the belief in it. The claim that the myth drives either HIV infection or ] in South Africa is disputed by researchers ] and Helen Epstein.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)61858-4/fulltext |title=The myth of the virgin rape myth |publisher=The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9699, Page 1419 |date=2009-10-24 |accessdate=2013-09-21}} "In the current South African case, this claim is predicated on racist assumptions about the amorality of African men..."</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Because of the virgin cleansing myth, as many as ten girls are raped every day{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}. As many as 3,600 girls in Zimbabwe each year may be contracting HIV/AIDS after being raped. ] has attributed the rape of hundreds of girls to the virgin cleansing myth. |
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| ⚫ | Because of the virgin cleansing myth, as many as ten girls are raped every day{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}. As many as 3,600 girls in Zimbabwe each year may be contracting HIV/AIDS after being raped.{{Contradiction-inline|reason = Unless 99% of these rapes result in HIV transmission, AND unless all of the rapes happen in that one country (both of which are HIGHLY improbable) then one of these numbers is wrong.}} ] has attributed the rape of hundreds of girls to the virgin cleansing myth. One case in which a one-day-old infant was raped has been reported.<ref name="CNN 2009">{{Cite news | title = Child rape survivor saves 'virgin myth' victims | author = CNN | publisher = CNN | url = http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-04/living/cnnheroes.betty.makoni_1_young-girls-raped-youngest-girl?_s=PM:LIVING | accessdate = 2011-12-31 | date=2009-10-01}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Ignorance with regards to HIV and AIDS infection serves as a barrier to prevention in numerous African nations.<ref name="Connor 1999">{{Cite news | title = Focus AIDS: The myth that sex with a virgin can cure HIV | author = Connor, Steve | publisher = The Independent | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/focus-aids-the-myth-that-sex-with-a-virgin-can-cure-hiv-1116662.html | accessdate = 2011-12-31 | location=London | date=1999-09-05}}</ref> | ||
| A study by the ] revealed that one million women and children are raped yearly. A survey carried out by UNISA at the Daimler Chrysler plant in ] found that 18 percent of the 498 laborers inquired thought that having sex with a virgin cures HIV/AIDS. An earlier study in 1999 by sexual health educators in ] - the country's economic hub - revealed that 32 percent of the survey participants' questions disclosed that that they believed the myth.<ref name="IRIN 2002">{{Cite news | title = SOUTH AFRICA: Focus on the virgin myth and HIV/AIDS | author = IRIN | year = 2002 | publisher = IRIN | url = http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=39838 | accessdate = 2011-12-30}}</ref> | |||
| ==Importance of education== | ==Importance of education== | ||
Revision as of 00:57, 15 March 2015
The virgin cleansing myth (also referred to as the virgin cure myth, virgin rape myth, or simply virgin myth) is the mistaken belief that having sex with a virgin girl cures a man of HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases.
Anthropologist Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala says the myth is a potential factor in infant rape by HIV-positive men in South Africa. In addition to young girls, who are presumed to be virgins because of their age, people who are "blind, deaf, physically impaired, intellectually disabled, or who have mental-health disabilities" are sometimes raped under the erroneous presumption that individuals with disabilities are sexually inactive and therefore virgins.
History
The myth was first reported in 16th century Europe and gained prominence in 19th century Victorian England as a cure for syphilis and gonorrhea among other sexually transmitted diseases. The origin is unknown, but historian Hanne Blank writes that the idea may have evolved from Christian legends of virgin martyrs, whose purity served as a form of protection in battling demons.
Prevalence
People all over the world have heard this myth, including in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
A survey by the University Of South Africa (UNISA) in South Africa found that 18 percent of laborers thought that having sex with a virgin cures HIV/AIDS. An earlier study in 1999 by sexual health educators in Gauteng reported that 32 percent of the survey participants believed the myth.
According to the controversial Betty Makoni of the Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe, the myth is perpetuated by traditional healers advising HIV-positive men to cure their disease by having sex with virgin girls. In Zimbabwe, some people also believe that the blood produced by raping a virgin will cleanse the infected person's blood of the disease.
Impact
Psychologist Mike Earl-Taylor suggested that the virgin cure myth may explain the staggering rise in child or infant rapes in South Africa, which is facing an HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, it is unknown exactly how common the myth is and to what degree rapes happen because of the belief in it. The claim that the myth drives either HIV infection or child sexual abuse in South Africa is disputed by researchers Rachel Jewkes and Helen Epstein.
Because of the virgin cleansing myth, as many as ten girls are raped every day. As many as 3,600 girls in Zimbabwe each year may be contracting HIV/AIDS after being raped. UNICEF has attributed the rape of hundreds of girls to the virgin cleansing myth. One case in which a one-day-old infant was raped has been reported.
Ignorance with regards to HIV and AIDS infection serves as a barrier to prevention in numerous African nations.
Importance of education
Education has helped women such as Betty Makoni speak out against the myth and attempt to dissuade people from believing the virgin cleansing myth, noting that most of the girls targeted are too young to walk, much less guard themselves.
AIDS educations being imparted is not helping to a great extent as of now. Rising AIDS rates have simply led to an increase of child rapes.
There are many occasions where girls are compelled into marriage with much older men which only increases their likelihood of HIV infection. The disgrace attached to AIDS also stops many girls from seeking information or health services to shield their status, contributing to the danger of infection.
See also
References
- ^ Groce, Nora E.; Trasi, Reshma (2004). "Rape of individuals with disability: AIDS and the folk belief of virgin cleansing". The Lancet. 363 (9422): 1663–1664. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16288-0. PMID 15158626. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- Leclerc-Madlala, Suzanne (2002). "On The Virgin Cleansing Myth: Gendered Bodies, AIDS and Ethnomedicine" (PDF). African Journal of AIDS Research. 1 (2): 87–95. doi:10.2989/16085906.2002.9626548. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ Earl-Taylor, Mike (2002). "HIV/AIDS, the stats, the virgin cure and infant rape". Science in Africa: Africa's First On-Line Science Magazine. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- Blank, Hanne (2007). Virgin: The Untouched History. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-1-59691-010-2.
- IRIN (2002). "SOUTH AFRICA: Focus on the virgin myth and HIV/AIDS". IRIN. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
- Kwayedza-Umthunya (08-05-2009). "GCN boss Betty Makoni embezzles donor funds". Zimbabwe Online Press. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Vickers, Steve (2006-10-24). "Staging sex myths to save Zimbabwe's girls". BBC. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- "The myth of the virgin rape myth". The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9699, Page 1419. 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2013-09-21. "In the current South African case, this claim is predicated on racist assumptions about the amorality of African men..."
- CNN (2009-10-01). "Child rape survivor saves 'virgin myth' victims". CNN. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - Connor, Steve (1999-09-05). "Focus AIDS: The myth that sex with a virgin can cure HIV". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- Mullins, K.J. (2009). "'Virgin Myth' Behind Zimbabwe Child Rapes". Digital Journal. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- Stein, Sadie (2009). "Silver Linings: One Woman Takes On The 'Virgin Myth.' Many Others Perpetuate It". Jezebel. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (2003). Faith-Motivated Actions on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care for Children and Young People in South Asia: A Regional Overview (PDF) (Report). UNICEF. Retrieved 2011-12-31.